Value of Governing and Advisory Boards
Both governing and advisory boards, when operating effectively and efficiently, can make significant and valuable contributions to a career school. How would you present, to senior management or school owners, the value of the two types of boards?
Due to accreditation guidelines and school policy, I am required to utilize an advisory committee, so I don't actually have to convince senior management of the value of the board. My biggest roadblock is funding for off site meetings or catered events.
Teri,
If your senior management understands the importance of advisory boards; i.e., accreditation requirements, contributions, interfaces with faculty, etc, “funding†for off site meetings or a catered event shouldn't be an issue, it's a standard deductible business expense.
It's your job to convince them of the tangible and intangible value added by having an advisory board as part of your school. This course should help you achieve that goal.
R. Roehrich
The success of the school and the commitment of the senior management would be the framework for any presentation regarding changes in structural practices. The relative success of institutions with strong boards, research that shows the efectiveness of boards, and the laws of accreditation granting bodies, are all compelling factors to be used in an argument for the formation of a governing board and an advisory board.
Additionally, in that an effective governing board can be advocates to the organization; that the board brings a wealth of diverse perspectives to the strategic planning of the institution; and in that its existence add value to the organization, any senior management who is invested in the success of this said organization, would be hard-pressed to object to the formation of a governing board.
An advisory board is no less valuable for the outside connections regarding information an current trends in industries which is can brong to the institution. Advisory board members can also be advocates for the institution; can be the 'eyes' and 'ears' of the institutions; can provide a wealth of professional and technical advise that might not have otherwise be available to the institution and can serve as effective content conduit to faculty. These are just some of the reasons that might convince any senior management to opt for the formation of a governing board and an advisory board.
Alessandra,
You have built a very solid case for adding boards to your institution and I applaud your efforts. Now that you've built your case, how do you demonstrate a tangible return on the investment? Can you provide a few examples of how creating the boards in your response will contribute to the bottom line, in “real dollars�
R. Roehrich
It is a requirement to have an advisory board for accreditation. However, by having an effective advisory board many different viewpoints can be obtained. This can assist in developing continuous improvement in planning specific activities.
Suhas,
Can you suggest an agenda for your next advisory board meeting? Perhaps i can give you some suggestions that would be targeted at achieving your agenda.
R. Roehrich
Minutes of last meeting
Retention statistics
Board exam results
Placement statistics
Accreditation report
Clinical evaluation
Any other business
Proposed meeting date for the next meeting
Suhas,
You might consider adding a brief perspective on the employment outlook, technology implications for your programs, and I'd suggest changing "any other business" to "new business." The new business item allows you the flexibility of tabling any items that surface which require more time, research, or reaction.
Do you provide the board with enrollment numbers and projections? If you choose to do so you might stimulate ideas on how to increase your numbers and expand your enrollment base.
R. Roehrich
Senior management is not my challenge – they are into it 100%. My challenge continues to be with my department chairs, which are immediately responsible for their boards. While they clearly see the value (if for no other reason than accreditation concerns), often times we are so busy running the day-to-day and playing firemen that the time required for a top-notch advisory board meeting seems to elude us. That leads me to my questions - How many hours per week (on average) would you estimate is necessary from the department chairs in order to have successful advisory boards?
Josefer,
You've posed an interesting question, which unfortunately I don't have a definitive answer for. The amount of time your department chairs need to put into their advisory boards depends on several factors; a) their job description, b) expectations of senior management, c) training on creating and managing advisory boards, d) perceived and actual value received from their advisory boards; and e) their willingness to be more than average and just go beyond just complying with accreditation requirements. If you can answer these, then you may come closer to the amount of time that could/should be spent on creating and managing successful advisory boards.
In my past, I co-chaired a national advisory board with the chairman of my company. Initially, over a half-year (we met twice annually) I spent a couple of days planning and organizing agendas and collecting materials for meetings to assure they were productive. As I became more experienced, it took less and less time to prepare and to retain our effectiveness; the same would apply to your department chairs. Initially, if you could allocate ½ day with them to help them plan organize and agree on common goals, which should be sufficient. Taking the information you get from this course and applying it to your situation in a “training†capacity should help you achieve the efficiency you're looking for. As with any worthwhile endeavor, the initial efforts require additional time, but perhaps they just don't know how to get the most out of their expenditure of time and energy.
Assuming you have two advisory board meetings per program, per year; each chair could devote one hour per week towards making their board more effective. Taken in small bits, with a clear objective and accountability, they should be able to enhance the effectiveness of their boards without too much difficulty.
R. Roehrich
Josefer, Are your department chairs responsible for making sure their board members attend? My school has 7 different programs, 4 in the Allied Health field. I am having trouble meeting the required number of board members mandated by our accrediting body for each of the programs we offer.
Teri, It's a shame that funding is a problem when it is clearly an accreditation requirement. I would suggest that at the beginning of the year when you have determined the dates for that year's meetings, send a budget breakdown to senior management outlining exactly the projected cost. I would state clearly that you are sending this in advance to give them ample time to plan for the event. This will also demonstrate to them that you are a forward-thinker.
Also, I have found that a catered meal at the school is much cheaper than off-site.
Thanks Kathleen for participatingh in this discussion.
R. Roehrich
Although we are required to maintain boards for accreditation standards, it is still a separate task to review, evaluate and present the values of each. The biggest and most recognizable "return-on-the-dollar" comes from the school's access to an educated and experienced "think tank." This allows us to research needed program improvements at the cost of a luncheon/dinner. It also provides our graduates the opportunity for an expanded job market with better qualifications and skills to meet current industry needs. Happy graduates make for increased referrals and additional revenues.
Dr. Stover:
You have aptly identified the real value of advisory committees; to the students. It's unfortunate that more schools, even the “large chain schools†haven't recognized the value that a well selected and operated board can contribute to a school's success. It would be interesting to learn if you can quantify the impact of your advisory board has had on your students.
R. Roehrich
I think the value of Gov and Advisory Boards is to keep the school in check and cause the school to think outside the box.
Douglas,
Beyond keeping the school "in check" and causing it "to think outside the box," well established governing and advisory boards bring vitality and a level of professionalism to a school from outside its walls.
R. Roehrich
I am working on the answer to the above question. Individualizing the answer to the owner of the school where I work requires behavioral considerations as well as just presenting factual information. Will get back to you soon
Wayne Barber
Wayne,
Take your time, it's important for you to be comfortable with your response in that context of your situation. I look forward to your response and if I can be of any help, just let me know.
R. Roehrich
